Gravel Calculator
Work out the tons and cubic yards of gravel for your job. Pick your stone type for its weight and price.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 1.63 cubic yards. We added 10% extra.
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There is no single US price for "gravel". Pick a stone type to see one.
Quick answers
- Tons in a yard of gravel
- About 1.4 tons, dry and loose. Wet gravel can weigh 1.7 tons a yard.
- 5 tons in cubic yards
- About 3.6 cubic yards. Divide the tons by 1.4.
- What a yard covers
- 108 sq ft at 3 in deep. The table below has other depths.
- Gravel price
- No single price. #57 stone is about $60 a ton, and pea gravel about $82 a cubic yard.
- A 10 × 12 ft area, 4 in deep
- About 1.48 cubic yards, or 2.07 tons. With 10% extra, order 2.28 tons.
How to work it out
- Measure each area in feet, and work out its square feet: length × width.
- Next, multiply by the depth in inches and divide by 324. The result is cubic yards.
- Multiply the cubic yards by 1.4 for tons of gravel.
- Want some spare? Add 10%.
10 × 12 × 4 ÷ 324 = 1.48 cubic yards
1.48 × 1.4 = 2.07 tons
2.07 + 10% = 2.28 tons to order
Gravel prices by stone type
"Gravel" covers many kinds of stone, and each has its own price. So the calculator shows a price once you pick a stone type.
| Stone | Middle price | Sellers |
|---|---|---|
| #57 crushed stone | $60 a ton | 5 |
| #57 crushed stone | $64 a cubic yard | 5 |
| Pea gravel | $82 a cubic yard | 12 |
| River rock | $115 a cubic yard | 9 |
| Crusher run | $50 a ton | 3 (rough) |
From US yard price lists. Delivery and tax are extra.
Each number is the middle price of the sellers we found. Crusher run has only 3 prices, so treat it as rough.
#57 prices per ton ran from $21.50 to $95. So it pays to phone around.
Why gravel weights differ
Yards sell gravel by the ton or by the cubic yard. You measure your job in cubic yards, so the weight of one yard links the two.
Sources don't agree on that weight. Here is what we found, in tons per cubic yard.
| Source | Tons |
|---|---|
| Gravel, dry, ¼–2 in (Cat) | 1.43 |
| Gravel, wet (Cat) | 1.7 |
| #57 gravel, loose in the truck (Ohio DOT) | 1.25 |
| Gravel, dry, loose (US Army) | 1.35–1.5 |
| Our number | 1.4 |
Cat is Caterpillar's earthwork tables. US Army is its earthmoving manual.
Rain adds weight. In Caterpillar's tables, a yard of gravel goes from 1.43 tons dry to 1.7 tons wet.
We use 1.4 tons, in the upper half of the dry figures in the table. That way your order is less likely to come up short.
The other stones in the picker use their own weights. Pea gravel uses 1.35, #57 stone 1.35, river rock 1.25 and crusher run 1.4.
Gravel sizes by number
Stone yards often name gravel by a number, such as #57. Each number stands for a band of stone sizes.
The bands come from a national size table, AASHTO M 43. We read it in Ohio's 2013 road specs.
| Number | Stone sizes | Fine dust |
|---|---|---|
| #2 | 2½ to 1½ in | Almost none |
| #57 | 1 in down to about 3/16 in | Almost none |
| #67 | ¾ in down to about 3/16 in | Almost none |
| #8 | ⅜ in down to about 3/32 in | Almost none |
| #411 (Ohio) | 1½ in down to dust | 3–15% |
#411 comes from Ohio's own list, not the national table. We read the 2013 edition, so it may have changed.
In this table, #2 has the biggest stones and #8 the smallest. The 4 clean sizes have almost no dust.
#411 has fine dust mixed in. So it packs hard, like crusher run.
How far gravel goes
Find your depth to see how much ground one yard or one ton covers.
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | One ton covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 116 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 77 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 58 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 39 sq ft |
The ton column uses 1.4 tons a yard. The yard column works for any stone.
Order a little extra
The calculator adds 10% to start. Palmetto Sand & Gravel, a South Carolina yard, says to add that much for its #57, crusher run and sand.
It gives no figure for gravel in general, and we found no official one. So you can pick 0%.
Packing the gravel down? Turn on that switch, and we add 17% more loose gravel.
Questions people ask
How much gravel do I need?
Measure the length and width in feet, and the depth in inches. Multiply all three and divide by 324 for cubic yards. Then multiply by 1.4 for tons.
How many tons is a yard of gravel?
A yard of dry, loose gravel weighs about 1.4 tons. The dry figures in our table below run from 1.25 to 1.5 tons. Wet gravel is heavier, at about 1.7.
How many yards is 5 tons of gravel?
About 3.6 cubic yards at 1.4 tons a yard. At 1.25 tons a yard, it would be 4.0.
How much does a yard of gravel cover?
At 4 in deep, a cubic yard of gravel covers 81 sq ft. A deeper 6 in layer gets only 54 sq ft from the same yard.
How much does a ton of gravel cover?
One ton of gravel reaches about 58 sq ft at 4 in deep. At 3 in, the same ton reaches about 77 sq ft.
How much per ton of gravel?
It depends on the stone, so there is no one gravel price. #57 stone runs about $60 a ton across 5 yards. Crusher run is near $50, but that is rough, with only 3 prices.
How deep should gravel be?
4–6 in for a shed pad, says White Pine Structures, a shed maker. Penn State's road stone guide uses 6 in for a gravel road. If it will carry weight, check your local building rules or ask a builder or engineer.
Where our numbers come from
- Material weights: Caterpillar earthwork tables
- Gravel and millings weight: Ohio DOT specifications (2023)
- Packing down: US Army earthmoving manual (FM 5-434)
- Stone sizes: AASHTO M 43 table in Ohio DOT specs (2013)
- #57 stone extra: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (add 10%)
- #57 stone price: the middle of 5 US sellers (Oct 2026)
- Pea gravel price: the middle of 12 US sellers (Oct 2026)
- River rock price: 9 US sellers per cubic yard, 7 per ton (Oct 2026)
- Crusher run price: the middle price of 3 suppliers in SC, GA and MD (Oct 2026)
- Pea gravel bag: KolorScape 0.5 cubic foot, about 50 lb
- Rock weight: Southwest Boulder & Stone rule of thumb (1.25 tons a cubic yard, not lava rock)
- Crusher run weight: the middle of 9 suppliers and road agencies
- Packing down: Penn State road-stone guide (8 in loose packs to 6 in)
- Shed pad depth: a shed maker's site guide (White Pine Structures)
- Base under pavers: CMHA paving guide (4 in for a patio, 6 in for a driveway)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 3 Oct 2026.
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